Wing honors Outstanding Airmen of the Year Published Feb. 11, 2010 By Public Affairs staff 419th Fighter Wing HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UTAH -- The 419th Fighter Wing announced winners of the 2009 Outstanding Airmen of the Year awards at its annual banquet Feb. 6. First Sergeant of the Year Master Sgt. Cindy George 419th Medical Squadron Sergeant George is a sparkling diamond in the 419th FW. She volunteered for a critical six-month deployment to Joint Base Balad, Iraq as First Sergeant of the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Group. While deployed, she coordinated the reception, transportation and bed down of more than 200 inbound and redeployed Airmen. She expedited transportation out of the AOR for a SNCO with a family emergency - all within two hours of initial notification. Not letting miles stand in her way, she mentored more than 60 students at the Air Force First Sergeant Academy via telecom from the AOR. Sergeant George is a polished member of the Hill Air Force Base Honor Guard, volunteering many hours for details rich in Air Force tradition. Senior NCO of the Year Senior Master Sgt. Scott Clements 419th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Sergeant Clements, Weapons Section Chief in the 419th AMXS, is an exceptional manager. In 2009, he revamped the load crew management program, which resulted in zero findings during the April Logistics Standardization and Evaluation Team visit. He demanded quality maintenance and the Airmen responded. He instilled a first-time-fix mentality that drove a zero-percent repeat and recurrence rate. He is a training process expert who verified more than 2,250 annual training requirements within his section and reduced overdues by 15 percent. A relentless manager, he eliminated delayed maintenance discrepancies, leading to the best-ever 466th Aircraft Maintenance Unit average of 2.54, which is well below the 5+ average. NCO of the Year Staff Sgt. David Kruger 419th Civil Engineer Squadron Sergeant Kruger is an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Craftsman assigned to the 419th EOD flight. In 2009, he volunteered to deploy to Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq to provide EOD support to coalition forces and Iraqi citizens. He skillfully provided coverage for a 42,000 square mile battle space. He conducted improvised explosive device search and destroy operations on ten route clearance missions and removed one active IED. He destroyed 172 unexploded ordinances that were captured by the Iraqi and U.S. Army during raids against insurgents and terrorist aggressors. Sergeant Kruger served as the team leader during EOD training operations with Iraqi police and army, significantly improving the host nation's EOD capabilities. Airman of the Year Senior Airman Byron Mortensen 419th Logistics Readiness Squadron Airman Mortensen is a Materiel Management Apprentice. In 2009, he designed new Air Force Material Command and Air Force Reserve Command warehouse storage areas for mobility training assets, which cut processing time by 90 percent. He trained 12 non-commissioned officers on the Mobility Inventory Control Accountability System, ensuring accurate input of 1,200 gas masks resulting in 100 percent inventory accuracy of assets. Airman Mortensen also attended the Airman Leadership School in-residence where he was awarded the class Leadership Award. Company Grade Officer of the Year 1st Lt. Nancy Immormino 419th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Lieutenant Immormino is an Aircraft Maintenance Officer who has thrived in a tough Traditional Reservist O-4 billet, leading 140 full-time and part-time Airmen and maintaining 86 aircraft. She led a highly successful 16-jet deployment to Nellis AFB resulting in 273 sorties flown and an amazing 91 percent Mission Complete rate. She proactively fought for critical maintenance ORE passenger processing requirements which led to an excellent regeneration of 14 F-16s. During the year, Lieutenant Immormino completed 79 upgrade tasks while serving on the flight line night shift - all while juggling the demands of her family and civilian employer during the day. Civilian of the Year Mr. Bryan Magaña 419th Headquarters Section Mr. Magaña, Public Affairs Specialist in the 419th FW's headquarters section, is an invaluable writer and copyeditor. He reinvigorated the wing's public Web site, and consistently exceeded article publication goals. He voluntarily attended UTAs to broaden his knowledge and scope of understanding into Reserve culture and training. He mentored three traditional reservists during their upgrade training, providing a thorough overview of writing fundamentals. Mr. Magaña enthusiastically took the reins for the Public Affairs Chief during a two-month absence and managed the full spectrum of duties with ease. In addition, he completed a Master of Arts degree in English from Weber State University with a stellar 3.97 cumulative GPA. Other awards presented during the ceremony include the following: Chief's Award Senior Master Sgt. Mark Howell 419th Maintenance Squadron Diamond Excellence Award Senior Master Sgt. Mark Howell, 419th Maintenance Squadron Master Sgt. Miranda Mills, 419th Medical Squadron Honor Guard Member of the Year Senior Master Sgt. Rulon Walker 419th Logistics Readiness Squadron Wing Commander's Servant Leadership Award Senior Airman Scott Gatewood 419th Force Support Squadron